Centrifugal separator.



F. S. SNYDER.

CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR.

APPLlcATloN man Auausi, |917.

L29431, Patented 061;. 29, 1918.

Gzzsalene marmmv i To all whom may concern:

FRANK S. SNYDER, OF POUG-HKEPSIE, YORK, ASSIGN OR T THE DEYLA'VgAL SEPARATOR COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

CENTRIFUGAL snranaron.'

Beit known that I, FRANK S. SNYDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Poughkeepsie, county of Dutchess, and State of New York, have inventedl a new and useful Improvement in Centrifugal Separatore, of -which the following is a full, clear, 'and exact description, jreference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a centrifugal vmachine for clarifying gasolene in a continuous manner-#more specifically, for se separating gasolene from a mixture or emulsion of the same with water, soap and dirt. The invention is especially adapted for use in carrying onthe process described by Meredith Leitch in his patent application Serial No. 147,333, iled February A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 show samples respectively of gravity and centrifugally treated gasolene mixtures. Fig. 3 shows a side elevation, in partial vertical section, of a clarifieror separator embodying my invention.

It is impossible, by gravity, to e'e'ct a.

clear and complete separation of the gasolene. Fig. 1 graphically 'represents a sample of dirty gasolene that has been allowed to separate by standing for forty-eight hours. Theupper layer of the sample consists of gasolene; below this is a deep layer, 12% of the total, consisting of an emulsion of gaso Iene, soap, dirt and water; the bottom layer consists of water.,` Fig. 2 represents a sample of the same dirty gasolene that has been centrifuged between one and two minutes. The upper layer of the sample consists of gasolene; be of soap carrying light dirt; the next ,zone consists of water; the lower layer is heavy dirt. l

Examinationof the centrifuged sample shows that the mixture consists of 43% of asolene and 135% 0f water, dirt, soap, etc.

y the centrifugal process all of this gasolene is recovered at'once. By the gravity process 6&70 is lost even after, setting fortyeight hours. l

However, the ordinary centrifugalseparator, such, for example, as any of the various types intended for the Separationv of milk and cream, are not effective, when op- Specication of Letters Iliatent.`

i Application led August 31, 1917. Serial No. 189,074.

ow this is a small zone Patenten oet. ee, raie.

erated continuously, to produce the perfect result obtained, as illustrated in Fig. 2, in the treatment of a. definite small quantity of dirty .,gasolene.v Either the gasolene will be imperfectlycleaned or some of the gaso-A vlene will be lost with the dirt and water.

In the continuousoperation of the separator which I have invented, however, the results are approximately perfect, and comparable with those diagrammedn Fig-v 2- Clean quickly, as does most of the water. In orderv to extract the last traces of gasolene from it, the soap 1s held in the bowl for a long time. rIhis results in a soap zonemuch wider in cov proportion'than that shown in the centriv fuged sample.

`The mixtureto be treated may change from much dirt and water with-a little gasolene, when beginning to draw from the bottom of a tank, 'to nearly all gasolene'and soap with a little water emulsed with it, when taking 'off the last ,from a tank. Under no conditions must gasolene escape with the water, nor must water, dirt or soap bedischarged with the gasolene. It isy thus seen that the problem is altogether different from that of -a milk separator that has anearly uniform mixture to vseparate and is1 never expected to make a com lete se aration of the butter fat from the s im mil I have found that, to obtain the cleanest gasolene, the liquid should be delivered to the separating disks near their perlpherles and travel, between the disks, inward toward the center, leaving all dirt, water, soap, etc., behind it.

In order to prevent escape of gasolene with the water, the top disk, dividing the water and soap-escape passage from the rest of the bowl, should be made of the maximum diameter possible and the relative radii of the water and gasolene discharge openings 'should-be such that centrifugal force acting lll@ disk will balance the centrifugal force acting on the gasolene inside and below the top disk and maintain a-water seal around the edge of the top disk.v y

. In other words, with the amount of desired water seal specified the discharge openings `for light and heavy' liquids may be dein whichless than eight-tenths of, the radius of the bottom of the discharge disk.

Thus, if the specific gravity of the heavy liquid be assumed to be 1. and of the light liquid .9, the radii of the discharge forlight liquid, of the discharge for heavy liquid and to the inside of the water seal would be respectively 3, 5 and 13,.and the radius of the bottom of the' discharge disk would be between 13 and 16.

Where it is desired to separate'gasolene from dirt, water and soap, a separator constructed in accordance with the proportions of the annexed drawings will satisfy the requirements and respond to the aboveformula.

In order to obtain high capacity, the liquid entering the bowl must loe-brought up to the speed of the bowl quickly and at n time during its passage to the periphery be allowed to lag behind the bowl nor durin inward from the periphery be aowed to run ahead of the bowl. These are accomplished by having wings at various parts of the bowl to accelerate or retard, as may be necessary, the rotation of the liquid. 1

I have also found it necessary, in order to obtain perfectly clean gasolene, to provide passages at the inner edge of the soap zone for a free iow of soap from those inter-disk spaces where the inward flow of liquid is so rapid as to interfere with the outward iow of soap, to those inter-disk spaces where the flow is less rapid.

In order to obtain the best results, the radii of the discharge openings for the light and heavy liquids should be such that the centrifugal force acting on the lighter liquid,

' below the discharge disk, and that acting on the heavier liquid, above the disk, will balance at a radius slightly less than the eX- treme radius of the discharge disk.

Referring to Fig. 3, the bowl shell a is carried on and revolved by a shaft which enters a Socket in the bowl nave c. Around the bowl nave is a propelling screw d, and fitting closely around that is a disk carrier e,

its passage A an upward extension of' which forms a cen-V tral lreceiving chamber f. Across the bottom of the diskv carrier e are several passages g leading from the central opening around the bottom of the screw al to the perlphery of the v carrier.

the bowl shell are several wings m extending inward to the edges of theiseparating disks j. Near the top of the bowl is the discharge disk n, preferably made as large as can be passed-through the internal iange at the top of the bowl shell. This disk has a neck o of comparatively small diameter extending above the bowl top andvhas on its upper side several wings p that fit closely against the bowl top r. The bowl top is secured to the shell bythe usual nut s and has the usual discharge opening't at the center.

In operation, the dirty gasolene is supplied through a feed tube, not shown, and enters the central receiving chamber f. The propelling screw d catches it and forces it downward to the bottom of the bowl and into the passages g. As the gasolene escapes from these passages, it is caught by the wings z' and afterward by ythe wlngs m and forced to continue rotating at the same speed as the bowl. Between the wings m, the heavy dirt is thrown out yagainst the Shell and part of the water is immediately thrown out. Part ofthe gasolene passes in very quickly between the lower disks to the center ofthe bowl. The'emulsion of gasolene, soap and water enters between the disks and is there separated. As the soap accumulates it is forced out from between the disks and spaces between the wings m until the soap zone iinally reaches the edge of the discharge disk n, and escapes around it.

This soap, with the water, iiows upward and inward between the discharge disk a, and the bowl top 7', and escapes at t. The wmgs p, on top of the vdischarge n, prevent the escaping water and soap running faster than the bowl and developing a great centrifugal force that would resist the low. The gasolene fiows inward betweenthe disks y', leavlng all dirt, soap and water behind it, and after flowing upward, inside the neck o of the discharge disk, escapes at u. The holes c throughithe disk j provide passages for the distribution and equalization between disks o f the soap and gasolene.'

Having now fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and protect by Letters Patent is: I

1. Inl a centrifugal separator for liquids having aheavy slimy' constituent, the com,- bination, with a rotatable bowl, of a liner 1n the bowl adapted to divide the liquid into v short distance from the bowl wall, means affording an escape opening for the lighter constituent from below the discharge disk,

means providing an escape opening from above the dlscharge disk for the heavier constituent, and a wing above the discharge disk' extending inward as far as the discharge for the heavy liquid.

2. In a centrifugal separator-for liquids having a heavy slimy constituent, the combination, with a rotatable bowl, of a liner in the bowl adapted to divide the liquid into thin layers and spaced a substantial distance from the bowl wall to afford an open annular space, a central receiving chamber and passages therefrom to the outer part of the separating chamber of thevbo'wl, a discharge disk above the liner the outer part of which over-hangs the liner and is spaced a relatively short distance from the bowl wall, means affording an esca e opening for the lighter constituent from elow the discharge disk, means providing an escape opening from above the discharge disk for the heavier constituent, and wings between the periphery of the liner and the bowl wall and between the discharge disk and the bowl cover, the latter wing extending inward as far as the discharge for the heavier constituent.

3. In a centrifugal separator for liquids having a heavy slimy constituent. the combination, with a rotatable bowl, of a central feed tube, a liner consisting of a set of superimposed frusto-conical disks occupying part of the separating space in the bowl, said disks having equalizing orifices between` their inner and outer edges, a frusto-conical Petticoat beneath the liner, an iniperforatc frusto-conical discharge disk above the liner, and wings below the petticoat, between the periphery of the liner and the bowl wall, and above the discharge disk` there being a discharge orifice for the heavier constituent above the discharge disk near the inner part of the same.

In testimony 'of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Pougkecpsie, N. Y., on this Qlth day of August, 1917.

' FRANK S. SNYDER. 

